Man-carrying parachute harness



Aug. 22, 1950 c. E. CARROLL 2,519,352

MAN-CARRYING PARACHUTE HARNESS Filed Dec. 17, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. (A/4815: f. 6' 0AA- BY Wm Ivan/4 y:

Aug. 22, 1950 c. E. CARROLL 2,519,

MAN-CARRYING PARACHUTE HARNESS Filed Dec. 17, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 22, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, a amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. .G'. 757) Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the United States Government for governmental purposes without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to parachute apparatus and more particularly to parachute harness for aviators having for an object the provision of an improved harness which is lighter in weight, less concentrated in bulk, quickly and fully adjustable to size, simple to fabricate or manufacture, and also more comfortable to Wear, and convenient to put on, adjust or take off.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a parachute harness having adjustable body encircling means for supporting the stomach, hips, and back of the wearer, including strong, comfortable load sustaining means extending around the seat, thighs, and body of the wearer to more effectively encircle and effectively and more comfortably support the body during opening shock and descent of a parachute when attached to the harness, incorporating quick detachable fastener means for releasing the load sustaining websof the-attached parachute from the harness, and quickly and conveniently releasing the body encircling and confining strap features of the harness at a minimum number of separable connections, so that the wearer can quickly and efficiently divest himself of the harness.

A further object is the provision of a personnel parachute harness having a main seat sling; member with a pair of leg or thigh encircling strap elements superimposed and secured thereon, including loop means on the sling member slidably connecting the leg encircling strap elements to the main sling member at opposite sides of the wearers body, in which the leg strap elements then extend forwardly towards each other to provide supporting means across the wearers stomach, the loop means includes flexible rearwardly extended looped portions, and shoulder and back strap elements extending upwardly from the seat sling member, then rearwardly and downwardly across each other at the back of the wearer and looped through the flexible looped portions towards each other and adjustably connected together to provide supporting means across the small of the wearers back substantially in the rear of the detachably connected ends of the leg or thigh encircling strap elements.

A further object is the provision of separable breast strap connecting means connecting the upper ends of the main sling strapmember together across the wearerschest,substantially in front of thecrossed portions of the shoulder and back strap elements.

A still further objectis the provision of adjusting means intermediate-the ends of-the main sling member, and in the leg or thigh encircling strapelements for adjusting the harness to the size and shapeof the wearers-body.

A further object is the provision of a single detachable connection for securing the shoulder and back strap elements and main-sling member together across the chest of the wearer, and a second single detachable connection for securing the looped endportions of theleg or thigh encircling strap elements together across the stomach of the wearer, including adjustment means in the main sling member, and inthe leg. strap elements for quickly adjusting the harness to fit the-body of the wearer.

A still further object isthe provision of improved flexible loop retainer means projecting from the opposite edges of the main sling member substantially across the hips of the wearer, receiving the looped ends of the shoulder strap elements therethrough, rearwardly of themain sling member, and receiving the looped end portions of the leg strap elementstherethrough forwardly of the mainslingmembers.

Other'objects and advantages ofmyinvention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts in the severalfigures.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved parachute harness illustrating the same inposition on an aviator. The load suspension or lift webbing of the parachute being shown in operative position in phantom.

Fig. 2 is anenlarged perspective view of my improved harness, illustrating the same applied to a conventional parachute pack of the-back" type, with one ofthe parachute loadsuspension or lift webbing disconnected from the harness, and with the chest strap fasteners disconnected.

Fig. 3-is an enlar-ged fragmentary detail plan view of a portion of one sideor reach of the-main sling or seat strap member, more clearly illustrating the construction of the flexible loop re tainer members and reinforcing webs therefor which extend from the opposite edges of the main'sling members to slida'bly receive andretain the looped portions ofthe-leg and shoulder while the numeral 2 indicates a parachute pack of conventional design, known generally as a back pack, having a pair of lift webs or load sustaining straps 3 which extend into the pack and are connected to the shroud lines of the packed parachute that is releasably contained in the pack 2. The parachute contained in the pack 2 comprises a canopy, not shown, having shroud lines, not shown, which converge downwardly from the periphery of the canopy when in descent, preferably in two groups with the load suspension webbing or straps 3, 3 each connected at their upper ends to one of the groups of shroud lines.

The lower ends of the lift webbings 3, 3 are each detachably connected to a shackle 4 secured on the harness l in the conventional manner so that release manipulation of the shackle or fitting 4 quickly frees the parachute load sustaining webbing or straps 3, 3 from the harness in the conventional manner, thus disconnecting the chute from the harness.

My improved parachute harness I includes a main flexible sling member or strap 5, having its upper ends spaced apart and connected to the lower bars 6 of the shackles 4, and depending downwardly and somewhat rearwardly from the shackle 4 as seen in Fig. 1 to form a seat sling portion 1 for the wearer to sit on. The main sling or seat member 5 extends through the fittings 4, is looped back on itself to provide return loop portions 8 which are adjustable in adjustable fittings or buckles 9 carried on short flexible looped straps I secured to the main seat sling member I, preferably at the upper ends of a pair of leg or hip encircling strap elements II. This arrangement permits adjustment of the effective length of the main sling member 5, or rather for adjusting the length of the two upstanding ends of the main sling member as indicated at 8 in Fig. 1, to position the detachable fittings or shackles 4 substantially in front of the wearers shoulders and chest.

The main sling member and the encircling leg straps or hip loop members II extend downwardly from the buckles 9 in superimposed relation to each other with the leg straps I I on top of the sling member 5 as shown in Fig. 2, the leg straps II being looped around the main sling member 5 at or adjacent a position under the crotch of the wearer as indicated at l2, I2, then extend forwardly and towards each other as at I3, to provide a pair of leg or hip encircling strap elements [4, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. The superimposed strap portions 5, I, and II located between the looped over portions I2 and the buckles 9 are securely fastened together and reinforced by stitching throughout this distance, the looped over portions I2, I2 being flattened down on the main sling and securely stitched in place as shown. The ends of the looped portions I0 carrying the buckles 9 are interposed between the webbings I and II, just below the buckles 9 and securely fastened by stitching or other suitable fastening means.

Just below the looped strap portion I0 carrying the buckles 9, 9 is a flexible retainer loop portion composed of flat strongly woven webbing indicated generally at I5, I5, the ends of the web straps I5 being securely anchored between the seat sling member 1 and the respective leg strap members II by stitching, indicated at I8 and I9, the intermediate portion extending between the leg and seat strap members and securely fastened thereto at 20. This arrangement provides the main sling member I with two pairs of flexible loop retainer members 2i, 22, loop member 22 extending forwardly from the front edge of the superimposed seat and leg strap elements, the free or forwardly extending leg strap portions I4, I4 extending upwardly and looped through the retainer loop members 22, as seen in Fig. 2. The two leg strap elements are then brought forwardly and toward each other to form a connected cross strap or web portion Ma disposed when tightened to extend across and support the body of the wearer, substantially across the stomach. The ends I la of the leg loop strap members I4 are looped through the bar members of a pair of adjustable separable fasteners 23 and 24. The fastener 23 has an eye portion 23a to receive the snap hook extremity of the fastener 24. The free ends of the leg strap portions Ida are folded and stitched to provide abutment pads Mb to prevent the IDOItlOl'l looped through the bar members of the separable fasteners of buckles from being displaced or withdrawn, and to provide pull means whereby the wearer can easily slide the looped ends to tighten the leg and hip loops I4 around the legs or hips of the wearer as seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

It should be noted that the retainer loop webbing or members I5 are reinforced by narrower strips of strong flexible ribbons as shown in Fig. 3 at 25, being securely stitched along the seat and leg webbing portions I and I I as indicated at 26, with their ends extending toward each other at 21. The ends may be overlapped if desired to afford maximum strength. The portions of the reinforcing webbing 25 are narrower than the width of the looped portions 2I and 22 and are secured thereto to permit the looped retainer webbing to roll, providing loops which are rounded in cross section at the inner sides of the loops where the leg straps pass through and engage them, and where the shoulder straps, later to be described, pass through and engage.

The upper bars 28 of the fittings 4 each have the loop extremity of one of a pair of shoulder and back strap members 2 9 and 36 secured thereto as best seen in Fig. 2. These shoulder straps 29 and 30 are arranged to extend over the shoulders of the wearer and then downwardly and across each other as indicated at 29a and 30a, and are then looped through the upper loop retainer webbing 2| and extend towards each other across the back of the wearer as indicated at 29b and 39b, their extremities being looped through and quickly adjustable in the buckle fittings 3| and 32, secured to the opposite ends of a connecting back strap 33, adapted to be positioned across the small of the wearers back, substantially in the rear of the stomach strap portions I 4a of the leg straps I4.

The parachute pack, as shown in Fig. 2, and as before mentioned, is conventional and one of many types that can be worn with or attached to the harness by the lift webbing or load sustaining straps 3, 3 of the parachute proper, by detachable connectors or shackles 34 which are separable from the main fittings or anchors 4 in the usual manner, such as by pulling the release cords 35, also conventional in construction and operation. The parachute pack 2, as shown, is a back type pack of the static type, preferably using a static line for opening the pack to free the chute, rather than the usual pull or rip cord, and in order to more securely support the pack on a harness the pack is provided with stitched webbing or loops 33p and 30p for the back connecting straps 33 l and the crosse'd back straps 29a and '30a to pass respectively freely therethrough. Also an intermediate strap 29p, stitched at its upper and lower ends is located adjacent'the top of the pack and accommodates the crossed portions of thestraps 29aand30a. Other and different attaching -means may be provided on the pack if desiredsince theyform no part of the invention as claimed,other:-than means 'for securing the pack tothe harness.

A separable breast or chest strap is provided, indicated-generally at36, and designed when-connected together to lie across the chest or breast of the wearer substantially in front of the crossed portions 29a and 30a ofthe shoulder andiib'ack straps 29 and 36. The chest strap 36 has a 'quick detachable shackle or separable-fastener Tr-interposed in its length,consis.ting ofaconventional eye 31a and snap hook element 31b. The portions 31a and 3772 as shown,infact, each include a short strap with each end looped over the other .end to provide a slide loop extending around one of the adjustable end portions -8-of the main sling member 5, and to receive one of the anchor-bars of the said snap hook oreye elements of the separable fastener 31.

" My improved harness is preferably woven of strong flexible webbing or'strap material such as nylon and stitched with thread of thesame material, thus'I am able'to-fabricate an extremelystrong and durable parachute harness having aminimum amount of weight and bulk. It should be noted that only two separable fasteners :of the-quick detachable type are provided in order to release and remove the harness from the wearer. The disconnection of the chest strap fasteners 31a and 37b frees the shoulder and upper body encircling straps 29 and 30 so that the wearer can remove his arms from the harness, while the release of the snap fastener 24a, frees thelegstraps l4 and the looped front or stomach band portion Ma, permitting the leg strap members Mato slide in the flexible retainer'loops 22, to.enlarge the leg or hip encircling loops so that the legs of the wearer-can. easily-be removed from theharness, further slackening of the straps 1.4, Ma can be accomplished by slipping the portions .Ma in the buckles .or anchor bar members of the separable fastener 23, 24.

-In.order to don the harness thewearer needs only to place the straps .29 and 30 over theshoulders while sitting on the seat sling I, connect. the chest strap fastener 31a, 31b, pass the two leg straps through between the legs and upwardly through the retainer loops 22 and towards each other across the stomach, fastening the quick detachable fastener 23, 24 together, and then'pull the ends Mb and Nb to tighten the leg straps.

Adjustment of the harness to fit nearlyany shape andsize wearer is also easily accomplished. Adjustment of the lower (free) ends of the cross straps 36b, 25a, will adjust the length of the shoulder and crossed back straps, and since the straps 2-9 and 3t slide easily in the retainer loops 2L2! on the main sling member ,1, this adjustment also adjusts the degree of slack or tension in the lower or horizontal back supportingband 33. Adjustment of the leg straps has already been explained. In order to provide adjustment for the height of the wearer the upper portion of the main sling or looped extremity 8 is easily adjustable, which provides the adjustment and proper positioning of the shackle connectors .4 for the parachute lift webbing in front of and below' the shoulders of the wearer, and also affords additional ;:adjustment :for lthe "length and asize of Fthe shou-ldersloopsl and theiproper positioning of theicrossstraps I;4a,.-l.4aat the backof the wearer.

the'type of packz2, .as shown-.somewhatzdiae grammatically in the drawings the parachute proper is'securelyinclosed in the pack .withithe two lift webbing elements or load sustaining straps 3-from. the chute extending out. of thelopposite cornersofthe. pack, as shownin Fig.2 with their ends 34. releasably connected to the fittings 4. When the pack is worn these-straps lie across vthesshoulders of the wearer above the shoulder straps 29 andx3ll, somewhat as illustrated inthe disclosureiin Fig 1, and when the parachute'is releasedandis in descent the two lift webs then support'the wearer directly from thefittings A connected to the upper ends of the main seat sling has shown; in phantom in- Fig. 1.

My improved harness effectively encircles and supports:the.wearers chest and back, waist and hips,-and:thesmall of the'back and thestomach, making the body supporting functions of the harness extremely effective and more comfortable during opening shock and descent. The looped portion 2| and 22 surrounding and supporting the opposite sides-of the body at and above the hips without excessive overlapping orbulk of the strap members, making theharness more comfortable to wear, especially in small or cramped quarters in military fighter aircraft.

Having thus described my invention inconnection with a typical illustrative disclosure for exemplary purposes, it is'not intended torestrict the invention to the exact details asshown as minor changes may be made without departing from'the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

-I' claim:

1. In a parachute harness, a main supporting sling -member extending downwardly to form a seat portion for the wearer-of the harness to 'sit in, leg strap members extending forwardly from the main supporting sling member substantially midway of the seat portion, flexible strap retainer loop means formedon the downwardly extending portions of the-main sling memberto receivethe free ends of the leg strap members therethrough, disposed to lie substantially across the hips of the wearer with the leg strap members loopedupwardly fromthe main sling member to form leg receiving loops, separable connector means connected to the'free end portions of the leg strap members to connect said end portions together across the wearer's stomach when the leg strap members are looped through the retainer loop means and extended forwardly and towards each other, combined shoulder and back strap elements extending upwardly from each of the downwardly extendingportions of-the main-sling member, then rearwardly and downwardly across each other, slidably received by and looped through the flexible strap-retainermeans to extend rearward and towards each other with their ends connected together to form shoulder strap loops for the wearer and back supporting straps crossing each other at the back of the wearer, with the portions looped through the retainer means extending-towards each other-to-be across the smallof thewearers-back to supportthe same rearwardly of the detachable connected ends of the leg strap members, separable connector means between the upper end portions of the main sling members, detachably connecting the same together across the chest of the wearer, sub-- stantlally in front of the crossed portions of said shoulder and back strap elements and means for connecting a parachute to said harness.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including adjustment means in the downwardly extending portions of the main sling member to vary the efiective length of the main sling member.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, including adjustment means between the connected looped ends of the shoulders and back strap elements to vary the effective length of the shoulder and back strap elements.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said flexible strap loop retainer means comprises flexible first and second loop retainer members respectively connected to the front and rear edges of the main sling member at spaced points along the main sling member, to extend forwardly and rearwardly respectively around the hips and sides of the body of the wearer and support the same intermediate the forwardly extending looped portions of the leg strap members and the rearwardly extending looped portions of the shoulder and back strap elements, with the leg strap members looped through the first loop retainer member and brought together in front of the wearers stomach, and the shoulder and back strap elements looped through the second loop retainer member and connected together across the small of the wearers back.

5. In a parachute harness, a main supporting sling member extending downwardly from its opposite ends to form a seat portion for the wearer to sit on, leg strap members connected to and extending forwardly from the seat portion sub stantially midway thereof to pass between the legs of the wearer, flexible looped retainer mem" bers extending from the edge portions of the main sling member to slidably receive the free end portions of the leg strap members therethrough and disposed to lie across the hips of the wearer to support the same, separable connector means adjustably connected to the free end portions of the leg strap members for detachably connecting the same together across the stomach of the wearer with the leg strap members looped around the legs of the wearer and through the looped retainer members and extending towards each other, combining shoulder and back supporting strap elements connected to the main sling member at said downwardly extending portions and above said flexible looped retainer members, extending upwardly, and rearwardly, and then downwardly across each other to form shoulder strap portions crossing the back of the wearer between the shoulders, said shoulder and back strap elements inclining downwardly from the cross portions thereof away from each other and looped tn'ough said looped retainer members to extend towards each other across the small of the wearers back, flexible connecting means between the last mentioned portions of the shoulder and back strap elements connecting the same together across the small of the wearers back, a separable chest strap element connected to the upper end portions of the main sling member and disposed to lie across the chest of the wearer including quickly separable fastener means intermediate the connected ends of the chest strap for releasably retaining the shoulder and back strap elements and the upper ends of the main sling member in predetermined spaced relation on the wearer, in front of the wearer's shoulders, and detachable connecting means at the upper ends of the main sling member for detachably securing the lift webbing members of a parachute to the upper ends of the main sling member.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which the looped retainer members each comprise a pair of lower and upper flexible loops extending forwardly and rearwardly respectively from the front and rear edges of the main sling member, the lower loop slidably receiving the leg strap members therethrough and said upper loops slidably receiving the looped end portions of the shoulder and back strap elements therethrough, said loops being secured to the main sling members to extend forwardly and rearwardly respectively around the sides and hips of the wearer, intermediate the connected ends of the leg strap members and the connected ends shoulder and and back strap elements to the main sling member.

'7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which the loop retainer members are formed of flat webbing material rolled longitudinall intermediate their connected ends to form rounded sliding surfaces for the looped portions of the leg strap members and shoulder strap elements to slide on.

8. A parachute harness for aviators for use in connection with the free parachute and pack having a pair of parachute load suspension straps connected to shroud lines of the parachute and extending out of the parachute pack at opposite sides thereof, said harness comprising a main load supporting seat sling member having a parachute load sustaining webbing connector means at each of its opposite ends, and extending downwardly from said connector means when worn by an aviator from spaced points in front of and below the aviators shoulder, then around the opposite sides of the aviators body to form a seat sling for the aviator to sit on, a pair of leg strap members connected to the main sling strap member adjacent the ends thereof and extending downwardly from said connections along the sling strap member and secured thereto in superimposed relation, extending to points substantially midway between the ends of the sling strap member, then extending forwardly toward each other and then looped upwardly away from each other to form leg receiving loops, strap retainer means slidably connecting the forwardly and upwardly extending portions of said leg strap members to said main sling strap member with their ends looped through said leg strap retainer means to extend toward each other, to lie substantially across the aviators stomach, quick detachable fastener means connected between the adjacent free ends of the leg strap members, shoulder strap retainer means extending rearwardly from the downwardly extending portions of the main sling member from points above the said leg strap retainer means, shoulder strap elements extending upwardly and then rearwardly from the parachute load sustaining webbing connector means, to lie across the aviators shoulders, then extending downwardly across each other to lie across the back of the aviator, and looped through and slidably engaging said shoulder strap retainer means with their free ends extending toward each other at the back of the aviator, connecting means between the last mentioned ends disposed to lie substantially across the small of the aviators back, a separable chest strap member connected to the upper end portions of the main sling strap member adgaeent said parachute load sustaining webbing connector means, positioned to lie across the chest of the aviator including quick detachable connector means intermediate the ends of said chest strap member.

9. A parachute harness, for use with a parachute having a pair of parachute load suspension straps to which the harness is arranged to be connected, said harness comprising a main sling strap member having its opposite ends extending upwardly to be positioned in front of the shoulders of the wearer, parachute load suspension strap securing shackle means fixed on the ends of the main sling member for securing the parachute load suspension straps thereto, said sling member extending downwardly from said strap securing shackle means and rearwardly to form a sling seat portion for the wearer to sit on, with the sides of the sling member extending around the opposite sides of the wearers body below the arms, a quick separable chest strap element connected between the end portions of the sling strap member, disposed to lie across the chest of the wearer, a pair of leg strap members each connected to the sling member at a point below the chest strap element and above the waist of the wearer and extending downwardly below said parachute load suspension strap securing shackle means in superimposed firmly secured relation to said sling strap member to points substantially midway between the ends of the sling strap member, then looped over the sling strap member and extended forwardly, and then upwardly away from each other to lie in the crotch of the wearer, forming hip encircling loop portions for encircling the thighs and hips of the wearer, means slidably connecting said hip loop portions of said leg strap members to said sling strap member at points above the hips of the wearer, said leg strap members being looped through the slidable connecting means then extended forwardly and toward each other to lie across the stomach of the wearer, quick detachable connector means on the ends of said looped portions of said leg strap members, detachably securing the same together across the Wearers stomach, flexible shoulder strap retainer loop means extending rearwardly from th main sling strap member above the leg strap retainer means, shoulder strap elements extending upwardly and rearwardly from the upper ends of the sling strap member and then downwardly across each other, to cross intermediate the shoulders at the back of the wearer, forming shoulder loop portions and a support for the wearers back, said shoulder strap elements being then looped through said rearwardly extending shoulder strap retainer loop means and extended toward each other, and means connecting the shoulder loop portions last mentioned together across the small of the back of the wearer substantially in the rear of the forwardly looped and connected portions of the leg strap members.

10. A parachute harness, for use with a free parachute having a pair of parachute load suspension straps to which the harness is detach- Ill ably connectible, said harness comprising a main sling strap member having its opposite end portions extending upwardly to be positioned in front of the shoulders of the wearer, quick detachably parachute load suspension strap securing shackle means secured to the upper ends of said sling member for detachably securing the aforesaid parachute load suspension straps thereto, said sling member extending downwardly from said shackle means and rearwardly to form a seat portion for the wearer to sit on, with the downwardly extending portions of the strap extending around the opposite sides of the wearers body below the arms, a breast strap connected between the upper ends of the sling strap member together, arranged to lie across the chest of the wearer, a quick detachable connector between the ends of said breast strap, a pair of leg strap members each connected to the sling strap member at opposite points thereon located below the breast strap and above the waist of the wearer and secured to the sling strap member in superimposed relation, extending downwardly to points substantially midway between the ends of the sling strap member, then looped over the sling strap member, and looped forwardly and upwardly toward the sling strap member to points substantially above the hips of the wearer to form hip encircling loop portions for receiving the wearers legs, leg strap retainer means on the sling members slidably receiving said leg strap members therethrough and extending forwardly from the sling member toward each other around the opposite sides of the wearer, said leg strap members looped forwardly from said retainer means across the wearers stomach, quick detachable shackle connector means in said last mentioned forwardly extending portions of the leg strap members connecting them together, said leg strap retainer means comprising flexible retainer loop members connected to the sling member, retaining the last mentioned looped portions of the leg strap members in predetermined position relative to the sling member, shoulder strap elements extending upwardly and then rearwardly from each of said quick detachable parachute load suspension securing shackles, and then downwardly across each other, to form shoulder loops for the wearer, crossing each other at the back of the wearer and looped through said flexible loop retainer means to extend rearwardly and toward each other across the small of the back of the wearer.

CHARLES E. CARROLL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,403,984 Smith Jan. 17, 1922 2,430,773 Kowalski Nov. 11, 1947 2,475,631 Miller July 12, 1949 

